By Chaos, Freelance Writer
Clancy Eccles Jr.
IF ONE STRETCHED their imagination, there was not but two full moons at Sunday night's Moonlighting - My Lunar Valentine, which was held at the East Lawn of Devon House on Hope Road, St. Andrew.
In addition to the real deal which held sway in a relatively clear sky and bathed everything in a silver luminescence, giving the night an air of relaxation and perfection, above the stage hung a mirror ball which reflected enough light to sparkle almost as much as the performers themselves did.
My Lunar Valentine featured live music from a number of acts rarely seen and heard in Jamaica. The night's theme was one of good music and relaxation and amid wolf howls and the occasional bark that MC Paula-Anne Porter asked for and were gleefully delivered by the audience, entertainers such as Hugh Jay enthralled.
Coming to the stage in a white shirt and a black pair of trousers, with his long hair in a pony tail, Hugh Jay acted as a time machine, bringing those present back to the 1960s when he did an excellent version of Sam Cooke's Nothing Can Change This Love, eliciting screams and cheers from many of those who sat around heart-bedecked white tables in chairs which had red balloons attached in a belated Valentine's Day design. With a change in pace, he then sang More Questions Than Answers, a lovers' rock selection. He contorted as he sang, every note seemed to be coming from deep inside his frame.
The ever-smiling Marilyn Virgo also put in an appearance, and after a slight hiccup where song selection was concerned, sang Perfidia in its original Spanish with flair. Next up was a cover of the Grammy-nominated Norah Jones' Don't Know Why, which was as beguilingly beautiful as the original.
All the performers were backed by the proficient Richie Cunningham on congo, Andrew 'Pregs' Thompson on drums, Wayne McGregor on guitar, Dale Brown on bass and Harold Davis whose brainchild Moonlighting is and Alexander Martin Blanken on keyboards. These gentlemen evoked excellent acoustics from their instruments, making beautiful music which never threatened to overpower the singers' voices. Davis and Blanken were particularly good as they laid down complex melodies.
Cabaret singer Maria Myrie was a ball of energy, constantly on the move. Once the lead singer of the Bare essentials, she too sang a Spanish number before serenading a couple which was celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary and a birthday last Sunday night. After carefully removing a bottle from the stage and some repartee with Davis, she took them to the stage and they danced eliciting spontaneous applause as she serenaded them with At Last.
A big man, Harold Davis took a turn from behind the microphone and went stage front to rap with the audience and sing a jazzed-up version of Blessed Assurance, at one point in time walking into the audience and getting his mother to sing a few lines. He kept the night flowing with some witty banter between himself and Porter and spoke with a quiet assurance over a constant hint of laughter. He went back behind his instrument and introduced his next piece as being penned by Donny Hathaway and as one of his favourites, prompting bassist Dale Brown to ask "So why yuh doing it then?", leading to peals of laughter from the audience. This Is My Song To You followed.
Angel, her lithe body covered fully in black, also impressed. She delivered a sultry version of Peggy Lee's Fever before the band upped the tempo a bit and she sang a funkified version of the Bob Marley classic Could You Be Loved. She was sinuous as she moved while she sang, seemingly wringing out each note from deep inside her slim frame.
Then it was time for the falsetto, and Clancy Eccles Jr., in a black sequinned shirt, reflected enough light to rival the full moon itself. His first selection, Smokey Robinson's Crying, had the audience cheering for him from the very first note. He played his role to the hilt on the stage, stalking and gesticulating with abandon. His second song was something of a let-down however, with a seeming lack of rehearsal evident and a little too much talking. When he did sing on One Of The Poorest People, his delivery again was a joy to listen to.
Next up was lovers' rock legend Boris Gardener. Before he got the chance to sing however, he came in for some good-natured teasing from Davis. "Boris went down to St. Elizabeth once and before he could get the chance to open his mouth, BAARIS! (said in an awful accent) and all sorts of articles were being thrown on-stage," he laughed. Gardener, after the laughter, said he was going to pay tribute to Johnny Ace by doing a medley of his songs. Soulful renditions of Forever My Darling followed by Never Let Me Go as Gardener sang and strummed the guitar hung over his shoulder, thrilling the gathering on hand.
Benjy Myaz was electrifying on the guitar, his fingers evoking spine-tingling sounds from his instrument as he performed What You Won't Do For Love and The Stylistic's Stop, Look, Listen among others, his vocals interspersed with wails from the guitar. He was accompanied by Dwight, a drummer who went to his alma mater Herbert Morrison in Montego Bay, St. James. During one amazing solo on Higher, the rest of the band stopped playing and started waving their arms from side to side, something the audience soon caught on to.
The night also featured performances from poets Duane Francis and 19-year-old Jameel, as well as Benjy Myaz and Christine Chin.
